Quintana Roo Identifies 780 Irregular Settlements, Prepares Regularization Strategy

Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo is home to 780 irregular human settlements spread across its 11 municipalities, with Benito Juárez and Isla Mujeres at the top of the list, according to state figures. The Secretariat of Sustainable Urban Territorial Development (Sedetus) is now preparing coordination mechanisms and regularization strategies to give families legal certainty over their land and curb the spread of these communities.

Sedetus data shows Benito Juárez, which includes Cancún, has 282 settlements, the highest in the state, followed by Isla Mujeres with 182. Playa del Carmen ranks third with 95, ahead of Othón P. Blanco with 77, Felipe Carrillo Puerto with 38, Tulum with 25, Bacalar with 22, José María Morelos with 17, Puerto Morelos with 16, Cozumel with 15 and Lázaro Cárdenas with 11.

Committee and Observatory Take Shape

To tackle the issue, the state created the Committee for the Regularization of Human Settlements in June. The body is tasked with coordinating the institutions involved, addressing existing cases and preventing new irregular occupations from forming.

The strategy also calls for a State Observatory of Human Settlements, set up in partnership with Universidad del Caribe. The observatory is expected to produce diagnostics, risk maps, indicators and technical reports that document conditions in the settlements and support the committee’s decisions.

Expropriation of Ejido Land Among the Options

Among the tools under consideration is the negotiated expropriation of common-use ejido land, a mechanism intended to bring certain properties into legal use and allow their residents to obtain title deeds.

Sedetus officials said the process takes time, requires the willingness of those involved and demands continuous follow-up, because regularization depends on the legal and territorial conditions of each settlement.

“Irregular settlements are places where many of the situations that complicate life for Quintana Roo residents arise. So yes, they have to be addressed, but this isn’t solved in a year, or in five years — it’s a process, a long process, because right now it’s the biggest problem in Quintana Roo,” said José Alonso Ovando, the head of Sedetus.

Irregular Settlements by Municipality

• Benito Juárez: 282
• Isla Mujeres: 182
• Playa del Carmen: 95
• Othón P. Blanco: 77
• Felipe Carrillo Puerto: 38
• Tulum: 25
• Bacalar: 22
• José María Morelos: 17
• Puerto Morelos: 16
• Cozumel: 15
• Lázaro Cárdenas: 11

Total: 780 settlements statewide